The invention relates to a double-feed sprocket arrangement for feeding different types of ammunition to the breech of an automatic weapon, such as a machine gun.
Selectable dual feed of ammunition into the breech of a single barrel machine gun so that the gunner may select either one of two types of ammunition is already known in the art. Such a selectable dual feed arrangement for ammunition has obtained considerable significance in recent weapon technology. It is desirable to obtain a switching of the dual feed ammunition arrangement with as little delay as possible. The known arrangement of the afore-described type do provide for a rapid switching operation. However, the known arrangements have several significant drawbacks, which are as follows:
The known arrangements are quite complex and consequently costly to manufacture. Moreover, the cartridge shell which has been positioned in line with the breech, that is between the two sprocket wheels of the dual ammunition feed arrangement, must be fired or, if a displacement from the chamber introduction position to a waiting position is possible, the afore-mentioned shell cartridge can only be moved to the waiting position in a very cumbersome manner.
The type of dual feed arrangement for ammunition for a machine gun wherein the shell cartridge positioned in the middle position for introduction into the firing chamber cannot be returned to the waiting position, is for example described in German published patent application No. 24 15 141. In the dual ammunition feed arrangement of the afore-mentioned German published patent application the guide means for positioning the shell cartridge in the middle position in which it can be introduced into the firing chamber in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the weapon, requires also an extraction position which is transversely displaced with respect to the middle position. As a consequence, this arrangement has the additional drawback of requiring a considerable axial length.
An example of guide means for returning a shell cartridge from the middle introducing position (that is a position from which the shell cartridge is introduced into the firing chamber) back into a waiting position is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,646. In this arrangement disadvantageously, the shell cartridge can only be removed in a complex manner.
Both of the afore-described arrangements have the common disadvantageous feature, which has already been described hereinabove, namely of requiring a very cumbersome and complex construction.